Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard (c. 1518–1524 – 13 February 1542), also spelt Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn".

Catherine's date and place of birth are unknown, but are occasionally cited as 1521 or 1525, and in Wingate, County Durham. The new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography gives her date of birth as anywhere between 1518–1524. Catherine married Henry VIII on 28 July 1540, at Oatlands Palace, in Surrey, almost immediately after the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves was arranged. However, she was beheaded after less than two years of marriage to Henry on the grounds of treason for committing adultery while married to the King. Catherine was the third of Henry's consorts to have been a member of the English gentry.